@emeraldisles Your question isn’t morbid at all. Death is simply a part of life’s path, and it’s an honor to be involved in a loved one’s final care.
During difficult economic times, cremation becomes very popular. A decedent can be cremated for a fraction of the price of a traditional burial.
Ok…here’s where I might be the one who seems morbid. In a cremation, the family doesn’t purchase a coffin, which costs thousands of dollars. The coffin is merely “rented” for a wake or memorial service and then kept by the funeral home. It’s expensive to dig a gravesite, comply with local and state laws about linings or vaults, inter the decedent, and cover the grave; these costs are avoided by cremation.
Beyond the burial vs. cremation decision, your family can minimize expenses by cutting funeral costs. You can pass on having a limousine, plus a driver, to take you from the funeral home to the church or synagogue service (if any) and the cemetary (if any). You can limit the funeral home visits to just one period of time, perhaps the morning before the decedent is removed.
Yes, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to consider these matters. My mother is very ill, and I recently made arrangements for her last care and pre-paid the expenses through an irrevocable funeral trust.
My condolences for your loss.